Defense Wins Champion****ps
by John Schuhmann
Posted Jun 4 2007 3:46PM
SECAUCUS, NJ, June 4, 2007 -- Yeah, yeah. LeBron James is pretty good.
Sure, his Game 5 performance was one for the ages. And I'll admit that
Daniel Gibson's shooting in Game 6 was impressive.
But what really impresses me about the Cleveland Cavaliers is their
defense.
And when it comes to points per possession, they've been the best
defensive team of the playoffs. In fact, they're the only team who has
allowed less than one point per possession over the course of the
postseason.
OFFENSIVE RATING
TEAM REG SEASON SERIES vs. CLE
Wa****ngton 111.1 104.7
New Jersey 108.0 96.7
Detroit 110.6 99.9
The table to the right shows how they've slowed down every team they've
played so far, looking at the offensive rating (points scored per
possession, multiplied by 100) of the Wizards, Nets and Pistons during
the regular season vs. their series against the Cavs.
So, on average, the Cavs held their opponents to .095 less points per
possession than they usually score. If you multiply that by 85-90
possessions per game, you get a difference of between eight or nine
points per contest.
Meanwhile, the Cavs' own offensive rating went down from 106.8 in the
regular season to 105.7 in the playoffs. So, say what you want about
LeBron shooting or passing. Whether he takes the shot or gives it up to
his teammate isn't why they're winning games. They're winning games
because they're stopping their opponent on the other end of the floor.
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Dallas and Phoenix just don't play enuff defense
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